The Rev. Donald G. Peterson died on Sunday, March 12, 2006. Mr. Peterson was born March 31, 1913, in Duluth, Minnesota. He was the seventh of eight children born to immigrant parents, Frank and Hanah Peterson. He served Baptist General Conference churches faithfully for thirty-three years in Lindsborg, Kansas (where he was ordained in 1938); Davenport, Iowa; Chicago, Illinois; Seattle and Ephrata, Washington; Galesburg and Geneva, Illinois. He graduated from Bethel Seminary in 1937, and later received his M. Div. from Bethel in 1973. In 1940 he earned his B.A. from Bethany College in Lindsborg.

Mr. Peterson was married to Ms. Grace G. Forsberg on June 7, 1937. Mrs. Peterson pre-deceased him on January 21, 1993.

Rev. Peterson maintained a high interest in overseas missions. While serving in Chicago, together with Dr. J. O. Backlund, and Dr. R. A. Arlander, he drafted the constitution that created the new Baptist General Conference mission structure in 1945. He was responsible for raising the initial fund for what was to be called "The Foreign Missionary Advance." When the new boards were formed in Duluth, in 1945, he was elected to the Foreign Mission Board and became its first chairman, serving in that post for three years. He was re-elected for two more full terms during which time many of the denomination's first missionaries were appointed.

Rev. Peterson had a warm pastoral heart with a cheerful spirit of optimism. He was much involved in youth ministry, particularly through summer camping both in Washington and Illinois. In retirement he served as an interim minister in many of the Mid-West Conference Churches.

While serving as a minister in Geneva, he earned the M.A. in Library Science at Northern Illinois University. He was associated with the library at Wheaton College for three years and then in 1973 he became director of the Judson College Library, Elgin. He served there until his retirement in July 1982, at which time he was honored with the title "Librarian Emeritus." In 1994, at age 81, Mr. Peterson served as a volunteer librarian at Daystar University College in Nairobi, Kenya for 6 months.

On August 13, 1994 Mr. Peterson married Ruth E. McKellin and they have resided in Windsor Park Manor in Carol Stream.

Mr. Peterson is survived by his wife, Ruth; three children; Stephen Lee (wife Mabel Jean) Peterson of New Haven, CT, Carol Ann Peterson, Las Vegas, NV and Donald Mark (wife Carol) Peterson of St. Charles; four grandchildren: Anne, Matthew (wife Whitney) , Andrew (wife Brooke) and Cherie Clark (husband Jason) and one great-grandson, Grant. He is also survived by his step-sons, William (wife Karen) McKellin, Daniel McKellin and David (Ruth-Ann) McKellin, and four step-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, March 16, at 1:00 P.M. at Windsor Park Manor, 124 Windsor Park Dr. in Carol Stream (North Ave. west of Gary) with Rev. Brian Coffey officiating. Burial will be in River Hills Memorial Cemetery in Batavia. Memorial gifts may be made to the Scholarship Fund of Judson College or to First Baptist Church (Geneva) Memorial Fund.